Watch: Ukrainian soccer player saves rival athlete’s life

A Ukrainian soccer match nearly ended in tragedy Sunday when Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Oleg Gusev crashed into the opposing team’s leaping goalkeeper, but a lightning-quick intervention from an opposing player likely saved his life.

Gusev was knocked out cold, but Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk’s Jaba Kankava reacted immediately and made sure to clear the unconscious player’s airways while medical staff rushed onto the field, keeping his tongue out of the way and letting him continue to breathe.

Although it’s not possible to “swallow your tongue,” it’s not unheard of for players’ tongues to block breathing while knocked unconscious.

Hospital staff later confirmed that Kankava’s quick thinking saved Gusev’s life, according to the Telegraph. The player was concussed, lost a tooth and suffered a jaw fracture in his collision with the goalkeeper. Soccer may not be rough-and-tumble a sport as rugby or American football, but the relative lack of protective gear means head injuries are still possible.